TWU To Host Reading
Recovery Institute

10/6/03

DENTON — In
the classroom or on the field, teamwork is an important ingredient
for success. More than 2,200 educators from across the country and
one former Dallas Cowboy will team-up in Fort Worth this month to
share ideas and experiences on how to help poor readers.

The Reading Recovery/Early
Literacy Institute, hosted by Texas Woman’s University, will
take place Oct. 15-17 at the Fort Worth Convention Center and is
designed for teachers, administrators, school support personnel,
parents and all persons interested in early literacy and intervention
programs. Information about the institute is available by contacting
the TWU Office of Lifelong Learning at (940) 898-3408, (800) 250-7808
or by visiting www.twu.edu/lifelong.

Dr. Billie Askew, professor
emerita at TWU and a Reading Recovery trainer, will be the institute’s
opening keynote speaker with her presentation titled “Preventing
Reading Failure: Will We Do What It Takes?” Author Ralph Fletcher,
whose books on writing include Craft Lessons, What A Writer Needs,
A Writer’s Notebook and How Writers Work, will be the closing
keynote speaker with his talk titled “Real Writing.”
And former Dallas Cowboy Darryl Johnston will address institute
participants immediately following lunch on Thursday, Oct. 16. Twenty-one
experts in reading and early literacy also will present lectures
and workshops at the institute.

TWU is one of 23 Reading
Recovery university training centers in the United States and one
of only two universities in the U.S. providing training for Descubriendo
La Lectura, the Spanish language version of Reading Recovery.

Reading Recovery has
a successful track record of helping poor readers and has been used
in Texas schools since 1988. Nearly 300 Texas school districts use
the program.

During the 12- to 20-week
program, first graders who have difficulty reading and writing meet
individually with a specially trained teacher for 30 minutes a day
to improve their skills. Most of the students who complete a full
Reading Recovery program can learn in a regular classroom setting
and don't need additional remedial services.

Teamwork is an indispensable
element in establishing Reading Recovery programs in individual
school districts. Elementary school teachers known as "teacher
leaders" spend a year at one of the training universities learning
how to implement the program

The setting is far from
just learning theory. Teacher leaders actually teach Reading Recovery
during that year — while being observed by trainers and other
team leaders. They discuss what works and what doesn't work.

Once teacher leaders complete their training, they then return to
their school districts to instruct other teachers on how to use
Reading Recovery with students. Currently, there are more than 100
teacher leaders in Texas.

Verizon is providing
support for this year's institute, including sponsoring Mr. Johnston’s
address during the conference.